BIDDEFORD — Look out, take precautions, prepare and don’t drive on Tuesday unless it is absolutely necessary, emergency personnel say. The storm bearing down on Maine is doing to be a doozy.

In York County, the National Weather Service at press time this morning issued a blizzard warning beginning at 10 p.m. tonight and lasting until 4 a.m. Wednesday. Meteorologists forecast 18 to 24 inches of snow in our area.

Winds are forecast to be northerly, with gusts up to 50 mph.

That means power outages are anticipated.

York County Emergency Management Agency Director Art Cleaves said he’s been in touch with all 29 municipalities, and, as it has for many years, the agency will work with Central Maine Power to keep an eye on power outages.

Cleaves advised people to stay off the roads once the blizzard warning goes into effect at 10 p.m.

And he advised folks prepare, and hunker down.

“This storm is hitting all Northeast. This is not a time for anyone to be complacent and think things can’t happen to them,” said Cleaves. “Too many people don’t think about it ”˜til the last minute. Be extra cautious.”

Cleaves advised folks to have extra food and water available, and to check their alternative heating sources.

Folks should make sure they have enough water on for cooking, drinking and flushing if they live in areas where there’s no municipal water service. They should have extra batteries for flashlights.

CMP spokeswoman Gail Rice said the utility has been lining up crews in anticipation of power outages. She said line crew and field workers have been told they may be called out and moved to other areas, if need be. She said CMP has been in touch with the North Atlantic Mutual Assistance Group – utilities in a dozen states that keep in touch and determines areas in need of assistance.

“With this storm, our biggest concern is wind,” she said. The snow itself is forecast to be of the dry, fluffy variety – much kinder to power lines than wet, heavy snow.

Public works crews are getting ready, too.

Biddeford Public Works Director Guy Casavant said this morning that the city is ready for what Mother Nature brings.

“We’re as prepared as we always are,” he said. “We’ve gone through all our pre-storm activities. We’re wrapping those up today. We’re ready. Our stockpiles are ready. We’ll be having our pre-storm meeting at some point today with the crews, and then we’ll wait for it to happen.”

Casavant said the city is also expecting coastal flooding during the two high tides on Tuesday, which are around 4:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Since the storm is expected to linger in Biddeford for 36-40 hours, Casavant said it may take a few days before everything is up and running as usual. He likened Tuesday’s storm to the February 2013 nor’easter known as “Nemo,” which dumped about 30 inches of snow on the city.

“Those type of events that go for a long time cause some impacts that last beyond the storm because once it’s done you have all this snow all over the place, but the crews have to go home to get some rest,” he said. “The duration of a storm can really wear out our resources.”

In Sanford, Donna Gray, the assistant to the public works director, said crews were checking their plowing and snow removal equipment, making sure it was shipshape. She said about 600 tons of road salt are being delivered today – 500 tons were delivered Friday, and a parking ban is set from 10 p.m. today to 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Crews are getting ready for what could be a long. long haul. In Sanford, the transfer station will be closed Tuesday and those three workers will help highway workers plow snow. She said the department tries to send some workers home periodically through a snow event to catch three or four hours sleep, but that will depend on the storm’s severity.

In Saco, residents needing shelter or evacuation are advised to call the police department at 284-4535.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].